132 HORN F.XPEniTION — NARHATIVE. 



.inotlior \vi(l(> valley, the easteiii cdnl inuatirm (if the I lorn \'allcy. Tn tin's tlie 

 police camp is placed and here, close to the Ileavitrce, was our camp. Tlieii 

 came another range cut tlirou.i;h by another i^ap and then a broad valley, the 

 continuation of the Missionary Plains. 



Within n radius of twelve or fifteen miles of the Alice 8prini;s station are 

 some f>f tlie most picturesque g'orj^es to be found amongst the ranges. To th(^ east 

 lies Emily CJap, some twenty or thirty yards wide, completely closed by a deep 

 water-pool ; westwards from this we come to the PTeavitree Gap and then about 

 tw(^lve miles still further west is T(unple IJar (Jap with a broad sandy and i;um tree 

 covered bed, and still further west again is the gorge through wdiich the Jay flows 

 south to join the Hugli River. All these lie in the lidge foiining the noi'th(>rn 

 boundary of the Horn Valley. Just to the north of Tcnnple I'.ar, only cutting 

 througii the main RlcDimnells, is Simpson's Cap, pei-haps the most ])icturesque of 

 all, with its rugged precipitous red rocks rising abruptly on eitluu' side of a deep 

 water-pool not more than fifteen feet in widfcli. 



Shortly after our arrival at Alice Springs we iiad been shown by Mi-. P. S(iuire 

 the empty carapaces of a large Piiyllopod a.ninial. It looked as if it belonged to a 

 very la,rge flattened Estheria nearly a,n inch in lengtii. Accordingly, under (he 

 guidance of INIr. Field, one of the Telegraph Station staff, Piofessor Tat(i and 

 myself went out to a l>ig clay-pan known as Conlin Lagoon. Our way lay along 

 the Todd to the south of the ranges and then we struck along the easterly 

 continuation of the Missionary Plains, here not more than a mile broad. 



Turning west we passed tlie racecourse, tlie scene of considerable excitement 

 at Christmas time when the annual meeting is iield, attended l)y all of the scattered 

 inhabitants of the central district for several hundred miles around. The Grand 

 Stand, made of planks and brushwood, looked, being out of the season, somewhat 

 dilapidated, and the lawn and flat weie occupied ))y a hard, sun-baked and cracked 

 expanse of dried mud, the course l)eing indicated by a wide circle of posts at 

 inter\als. Between the course and the township of Stuart, wliich dui'ing the 

 racing carnival is crowded, lies the Heavitree Gap, tlirough which all traflic must 

 take place, and if one of the summer downpours liappens to occur suddenly during 

 a race-day, tlien to the e.Kcitcment of the racing is added that of the chance of a 

 flood coming quickly down the gap and cutting off the retreat to the township. 

 In Central Australia a river bed (piite dry in the morning and hard to traverse* by 

 reason of its tliick soft sand may in a. f(^w liours lie transformed into a roaring 

 torrent. However wlien we passed it the gap was quite dry and the Grand Stand, 

 lawn and Hat deserted. 



